The blessings which the reading habit confers on its possessors are many provided we choose the right kind of books. Reading gives the highest kind of pleasure. Some books we read simply for pleasure and amusement – for example, good novels. And novels and books of imagination must have their place in everybody’s reading. When we are tired, or the brain is weary with serious study, it is a healthy recreation to lose ourselves in some absorbing story written by a master head.

But to read nothing but books of fiction is like eating nothing but cakes and sweetness. As we need plain wholesome food for the body, so we must have serious read for the mind. And here we can choose according to our taste. There are many noble books on history, biography, religion, travel and education which we should read as these will not only give us pleasure but knowledge and education.

Books are the most faithful of friends. Our friends may change or die, but our books are patiently waiting to talk to us. They are never cross, peevish, or unwilling to converse as our friends sometimes are. No wonder a reader becomes a “book-lover”.